High school is stressful enough without having to save your town from evil incarnate.

But Starla never really had a choice in the matter.

Starla, an aspiring artist, lives an uneasy life with her mom after the sudden loss of her dad. She seeks refuge at the home of her grandmother, Ma Mère, where she feels safe. As a teenager, Starla begins to demonstrate magical abilities. Among them, she discovers her hands glow with purple light and she can understand the squeaks of her pets.

Her new abilities are no surprise to Ma Mère, who reveals a long-hidden family secret of power and magic. Starla’s new abilities have been passed down for generations and were awakened by the shift in power when Hel, an ancient evil being, escaped containment.

Hel and those under its power are determined to gain possession and control over the citizens of East Pine and the magical dimensions concealed there. Starla and her friends refuse to let that happen.

​If she hopes to thwart Hel’s insatiable quest for power and regain control over it before East Pine and all of the dimensions of existence are destroyed, Starla will have to trust her instincts and find the courage to harness the ancestral magic she was born to wield.

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Meet the Authors: Terrilynn Moore & Quade B Smith

Terrilynn Moore is a retired police officer who now lives as an artist and storyteller. She expresses her passion through her words and art. The book, Starla, was largely written but not completed until after she reconnected with Quade B Smith after a high school reunion. Quade has prior experience as a co-author of a non-fiction book called, The Bark of the Cony.

connect with the author:  website 

*Guest Post*

Diversity Matters

Diversity matters: why and how to write a diverse cast of characters authentically.

As an American woman of African descent, I chose to write about characters with whom I have had a familial or community connection. Many of the characters were inspired by people I have met in my life. I have been blessed to know incredible teachers, business owners, housewives and police officers over the years. I have also met horrible people, some of which inspired characters in the book.

I used snipits of my conversations with a wide range of people to bring the characters to life. The variety of dialects and speech patterns are based on real people that I have encountered.

Starla’s characters are based on people from all walks of life. Hopefully, I brought them into the story in such a way that they are relatable and help to move the story forward. It was my intention to create a home-town environment in which the characters are free to be themselves. The story could take place in most modern-day towns. Every culture has people who are different, some strange, some wonderful, some saint-like, some as sinister as people can get.

Title: Starla 

Author: Terrilynn Moore and Quade B. Smith

Category:  YA Fiction (Ages 13-17), 434 pages

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Laurel Elite Books

Release date:   May 2023

Content Rating:  PG + M – Mild profanity and the lead character lives in a mental and verbally abusive household. The theme of living in an unhealthy household and getting help is a theme in the book. 

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Enter to win a signed hardcover copy of Starla by Terrilynn Moore and Quade B. Smith.

One (1) winner will win a signed hardcover copy of Starla by Terrilynn Moore and Quade B. Smith (USA only, ends Oct. 2)

*Click the link to be taken to the entry form*

https://gleam.io/Nof7F/starla-book-tour-giveaway